Aeroplane



Jan. 10, 1933. e. w. ELMWALL AEROPLANE -s Sheets-Sheet 2 Ofiginal FiledJuly 16. 1950 VENTOR I Gwldw Fir/2M5 BY :2 g) a i E & ATTORNEY 1 Jam.31), 1933.

G. W. ELMWALL AEROPLANE Original Filed July 16 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 inE INVENTOR Guam w W m ATTORN Y Patented Jan. 10, 1933 ZIT ED "ST ATE SPATENT -F F GUSTAVE W. ELMWALL, OF NE V YORK, N. Y.

AEROPLAN E Application filed July 16, 1930, Serial No. 468,230. RenewedApril 22, 1932.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in an aeroplane.

An aeroplane, whether a monoplane or a biplane, is neither safe norcomplete unless 5 it is designed to qualify under any condition or stageof flying. This includes take off and landing as well as the actualflight.

It is the purpose of this invention to provide :an aeroplane structureof superior stability and safety to meet the requirements of the abovenamed phases of aviation.

The present application is similar to the disclosure in my previouspatent application filed on June 6, 1927, Serial No. 196,868.

For further comprehension of the invention,and-of the objects andadvantages thereof, reference will be had to the following descriptionand accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which thevarious 23 novel features of the invention are more particularly setforth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosureFig. 1 is a top plan view showing the general design and relative sizesof parts of the aeroplane embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side view of Fig. 1 to further illustrate the special designof the whole as a unit of safety factors.

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view of Fig. 1 and is intended toillustrate in main the lateral angle of the wings, a tank between thewings and to which reference will be made later. It also shows, as doesFig; 1 that the 35 general principle of this invention is not affectedby an addition of a lower wing. The

placing and size of a lower wing however,

must conform to the general design of the I Whole. Inasmuch as the topwings by their design and aid of ailerons are the main factors insupporting a plane and maintaining its lateral balance, it is evidentthat the area and position of lower wings should never be permitted toimpede said factor. Hence the illustration.

Fig. 4: is intended to illustrate the combination of an automatic andmanual control of the ailerons. In this case the pilots seat is M usedas the weight medium through which the force of gravity is utilized.That this however, is not the only means by which this control can beoperated is shown by the tank in Fig. 3 to which more detailed referenceis made in Fig. 7.

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 45.

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 illustrates a method of placing a tank on top of the fuselage andbetween the wings where it can readily be made to serve as a weightmedium to automatically operate 53 the ailerons by force of gravity aswell as by manual manipulation.

Fig. 8 is a horizontal view on the line 88- of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 shows a means of utilizing the sides of the fuselage to arrestthe speed of the plane in the event of a forced landing, or in case ofcircumstances where retardation of motion is deemed necessary.

The aeroplane 10 has ailerons 11 and a control which comprises opposedpulley and .necting said opposed pulleys and tackles with said ailerons11 for automatically leveling the aeroplane by operation of saidailerons. A manual means is also provided for the control of saidleveling weight for manual opc eration of the ailerons. In addition, ameans is provided for adjusting the amplitude of the aileron movements.

The aeroplane 10 is shown to be provided with a motor driven propeller15. The aeroplane illustrated is of the biplane type and has a landinggear 16 including wheels 17 for landing upon the ground. Lower wings 18are attached on the body of the aeroplane below upper wings 19 and areshaped and arranged as shown on the drawings. The lower wings 18 may beomitted. The main wings have their front cut edges 20 curved andat theirinner ends 21 rounded. Variable wings 22are also provided upon the mainwings 19. The control for the variables 22 is not shown and may be ofany conventional type.

Speed brake wings 22 are hinged to the sides of the fuselage ofaeroplane 10- which are opened when the aeroplane is landing, to checkthe speed. The brake wings 22 are operated readily by slackening thecontrol line 22 so that a spring 22" within a cylinder 22, moves one endof a pulley and tackle 22 to give oii' line allowing pivoting to theposition indicated by the dash lines 22 The head on resistance of theplane is then increased which acts as a speed brake.

The aeroplane is also provided with an elevator wing 23 attached upon atail wing 24. The attachment is of the hinged type indicated byreference numeral 25. The outer ends of the main wings 19 are inclinedrearwards as may be seen from an inspection of Fig. 1, and the ailerons11 are arranged along these inclined edges. Hinged connections 27 serveto connect the ailerons upon the ends of the wings. Top and bottom posts28 and 29 respectively are mounted upon the main wings 19 immediatelyadjacent the ailerons 11 and top and bottom control wires 30 and 31respectively engage over these posts and connect with the ailerons forproviding the 3 aileron movements.

Each of the pulley and tackle constructions 12 comprises a body pulley32 mounted upon he body of the aeroplane and a seat or tank pulley 33mounted upon the leveling weight 3 before mentioned. A cord engages overthe pulleys 32 and 33 and is attached at one end 34 upon the body of thepulley 32. It then extends over the pulley 33, then back over the pulley32, again over the pulley 33, and

P 3 finally terminates in the line 35.

The pilots seats 13 are rigidly connected to each other by a brace 36.These pilots seat and the tank'13 have flanged wheels 37 engaging rails38 so as to be free to move laterally only. The pulleys 33 are attachedupon the outer sides of the seats 13 as shown in Fig. 3 and to the tank13 as shown in Fig. 8. The flexible member system for connecting thepulleys and tackles with the ailerons 3 comprises a line 40 connectingthe top control tank) for manual operations of the ailerons comprises atubular member 42 rotatively mounted and supporting a drum 43. A rightcord 44 is wound over the drum in one direction and connects with oneend 45 of one of the pilots seats, and a lefteord 46 is wound around thedrum in the opposite direction and is attachedto the other end 47 of thepilots seat. A rod 48 passes through the tubular member 4-2 and supportsa drum 49 for connection with a cable controlling the rudder. Thisconnection is not shown on the drawing. At the top, both the tubularmember 42 and the rod 48 support hand controlled wheels 50 for manualoperation.

The means for adjusting the amplitude of the aileron movements comprisesanchor rods 51 projecting from the seats 13 and from the tank l3engaging in trapezoid openings 52 in plates 53 slidably mounted upon theaeroplane body. The inclined sides of the trapezoid openings are at thesides so that the plate may be adjusted frontwards and rearwards tolimit the motions of the anchor rods to diilerent degrees. The plates 53are provided with transverse slots 54 receiving stationary pegs 55 toguide the sliding of the plates. Gear teeth 56 are formed on one of thesides of the plates and mesh with pinions 57 rotatively mounted andprovided with heads 58 for receiving turning tools for manualadjustments of the plates. Ratchet teeth 59 are formed on the oppositesides of the plates and are engaged by stationary springs 60 to normallyhold the plates in stationary positions.

The operation of the device may be traced by assuming the aeroplane inflight. In the event that it tilts towards one side or the other, underthe force of gravity the leveling weight moves to the side to which thetilt occurs. This motion is possible since the weights are movablymounted upon the rails 38. This motion causes one of the tackles 12 tobe expanded and allows contraction of the other tackle. The expandedtackle draws upon the particular cord 35 and moves one or the other ofthe control wires 31 for tilting one or the other of the aileronsupwards and the opposite one downwards for accomplishing the stabilizingof the plane. As the plane becomes stable, the leveling weight can assume their central or neutral position and the ailerons automaticallyassume the normal horizontal positions.

By turning both wheels 50 simultaneously the pilot banks the plane andat the same time he swings it to either side of his course, or he canbank it first by turning the lower wheel which is the manual controlmember to the ailerons. The top wheel 50 connects with the rudders. Itwill be noticed that the rudders are placed below and in front of theelevator in such manner as to cause the least obstruction while at thesame time this construction. adds strength to the structure. The objectof curving the tail end of the fuselage wall upward to a chisel point isto prevent tail diving and also to insure the serviceability of theelevator.

The arrangement of the fuselage so that the rear has an upward extendedend is made with a view to force the rear end upward in case the planeis falling in a tail-spin. The automatic aspect of the aileron controltogether with the wing design takes care of naeaees lateral balance,while the said wing design and angular position to the fuselage tends toforce the front of the plane upward in case of av nose dive. One objectin placing the rudders below the elevator and in line with the fuselageis to decreasethe surface exposed to cross winds and therebypromotesteadier "flight. A further object is to strengthen the rear of thefuselage as includ ng the means of steering the aeroplane.

lVhile I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of myinvention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to theprecise construction herein disclosed, and the right is reserved to allchanges and modifications coming within the scope of the invention asdefined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Unit d States Letters Patent is 1. In combination with anaeroplane having ailerons, opposed pulleys and tackle, pilots seatsconstituting a leveling weight attached between said opposed pulleys andtackle, a flexible member system connecting said opposed pulleys andtackle with said ailerons for automati ally leveling the aeroplane byoperation of said ailerons, and means for manual control of saidleveling weights for manual operation of said ailerons, comprising adrum fixed upon a rotatively mounted member for manual control, a righthand string wound in one direction on said drum and connect-ed with oneend of the pilots seats, and a left hand string wound in the otherdirection upon said drum and. connected with the other end on saidpilots seats.

2. In combination with an aeroplane having ailerons, opposed pulleys andtackle, pilots seats constituting a leveling weight attached betweensaid opposed pulleys and tackle, a flexible member system connectingsaid opposed pulleys and tackle with said ailerons for automaticallyeveling the aeroplane by operation of said ailerons. and means foradjusting the amplitude of said aileron movements.

3. In combination with an aeroplane having ailerons, opposed pulleys andtackle, pilots seats constituting a leveling weight attached betweensaid opposed pulleys and tackle, a flexible member system connectingsaid opposed pulleys and tackle with said ailerons for automaticallyleveling the aeroplane by operation of said ailerons. and means foradjusting the amplitude of said aileron movements, comprising anchorrods extended from the pilots seats and engaging in trapezoidal openingsin plates adjristablv mounted upon the aeroplane body. I

4. In combination with an aeroplane ha ing ailerons, opposed pulleys andtackle, pilots seats constituting a leveling weight atanchor rodsextending from the pilots :seats and engaging in said trapezoidalopenings, means for sliding tllGSZLld. plates, and means for holding theplates 1n fixed ad usted posi- J tions,

5. In combination with an aeroplane ha'v-=- ing ailerons, opposedpulleys andta'ckle, 'pilots seats constituting a leveling weightattaohed between said opposed pulleys and tackle, a flexible membersystem connecting said opposed pulleys and tackle with said ailerons forautomatically leveling the aeroplane by operation of said ailerons, andmeans for djusting the amplitude of said aileron movements, comprisingplates having trapezoidal openings, means for slid'ably mounting saidplates to the aeroplane body, anchor rods extending from the pilotsseats and engaging in said trapezoidal openings, means for sliding thesaid plates, andmeans for holding the plates in fixed adjustedapositions, said means for slidably mounting said plates to theaeroplane body comprises pegs fixed in the body and engaging in slotsformed in the plates.

6. In combination with an aeroplanehaving ailerons, opposed pulleys andtac-kle, pilots seats constituting a leveling weight attached betweensaid opposed pulleys and tackle, a flexible member system connectingsaid opposed pulleys and tackle with said ailerons for automaticallyleveling the aeroplane by operati-on of said aileron-s, and means foradjusting the amplitude of said aileron movements, comprising plateshaving trapezoidal openings, means for slidably mounting said plates tothe aeroplane body, anchor rods extending from the pilots seats andengaging in said trapezoidal openings, means for sliding the saidplates, and means for holding the plates in fixed adjusted positions,said means for sliding the. plate comprises a pinion rotatively mountedon the body and engaging teeth formed on one side of the plate, and ahead on said pinion for manual turning.

7. In combination with an aeroplane having ailerons, opposed pulleys andtackle, pilots seats constituting a leveling weight attached betweensaid opposed pulleys and tackle, a flexible member system connectingsaid opposed pulleys and tackle with said ailerons for automaticallyleveling the aeroplane by operation of said ailerons, and means foradjusting the amplitude of said aileron movements, comprising plateshaving trapezoidal openings, means for slidably mounting said plates tothe aeroplane body, anchor rods extending from the pilots seats andengaging in said trapezoidal openings, means for sliding the saidplates, and means for holding the plates in fixed adjusted positions,comprising a spring fixed upon the body engaging teeth on the side ofthe plate.

8. In an improved aeroplane structure design, a rear fuselage having anupwardly turning bottom at its extreme end, rudders, supported by theextended frame work of the said fuselage so that the rudders form acontinuation with the body of the fuselage, an elevator, above therudders, supported by the said structure in alignment with the top ofthe fuselage, wings so designed as to form stream lines along theiredges in a plan view, said wings being arched at the vicinity of thefuselage for the purpose of obtaining a lateral self balance control inthe aeroplane, while a portion of their trailing edges adjacent thefuselageis extended and movable to permit changing the angle of lift.

9. In an airplane, a body with a rear fuselage having an upwardly turnedbottom at its extreme end, rudders mounted on the extreme end of saidbody in a manner to form a continuation of the fuselage, an elevatorabove said rudders in alignment with the top of said fuselage, wingsprojecting from said body and having streamlined edges in plan view andbeing arched in the vicinity of the fuselage for the purpose ofobtaining a lateral self-balance control in the airplane, and a portionof the trailing edges of the wings adjacent the fuselage being extendedand movable to permit changing the angle of lift.

10. In an airplane, a body with a rear fuselage having an upwardlyturned bottom at its extreme end, rudders mounted on the extreme end ofsaid body in a manner to form a continuation of the fuselage, anelevator above said rudders in alignment with the top of said fuselage,wings projecting from said body and having streamlined edges in planView and being arched in the vicinity of the fuselage for the purpose ofobtaining a lateral self-balance control in the airplane, and a portionof the trailing edges of the wings adjacent the fuselage being extendedand movable to permitchanging the angle of lift,

said streamlined wings being substantially as shown and described.

11. In an aeroplane, a body with a rear fuselage having an upwardlyturned bottom at its extreme end, rudders mounted on the extreme end ofsaid body in a manner to form a continuation of the fuselage, anelevator above said rudders in alignmentwith the top of said fuselage,wings projecting from said body and having streamlined edges in planview and being arched in the vicinity of the fuselage for the purpose ofobtaining signature.

GUSTAVE W. ELMWALL.

